WOW! That's amazing. You've done so well - congratulations.
8-)

======= Date Modified 01 Aug 2011 14:30:58 =======
Hi Batfink, here's my suggestion, but please bear in mind that I am not from your discipline - I'm humanities:

I think you need to identity the big question you are asking and use that as the lead character in your discussion - as the previous poster suggests, there has to be a strong continum in your thesis, an overall point.

1. Context chapter: what has lead you to this question, why are you asking it? (perhaps this would be lit review - only you know that)
2. Methods chapter - how are you going to answer this question and why are you doing it the way you are, what would the alternatives have been.
3. Discussion of organisation 1.
4. Discussion of organisation 2.
5. Conclusion drawing all of the above together - comparison of organisations 1 and 2, and exploration of how your findings therein effect methods and future questions.

I hope this helps

p.s. I don't actually have a clue about your subject so have just made this up... so please be forgiving if it's (down)

the jam on education:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqiMfPe6U7g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG0L86DRuC8

Why not go for it? Am v. glad they didn't single me out as a likely customer...

======= Date Modified 29 Jul 2011 10:58:36 =======
======= Date Modified 29 Jul 2011 10:57:29 =======
Excellent, fascinating article, but the author does seem quite bitter about University Lecturers... This is not due to us, personally - we work in a system. I get frustrated about not being able to educate properly due to time constraints and formats that I think aren't effective. Plus a lot of the students he was talking about here have serious language problems and are not ready to take a degree. Plus some of the phrasing he was using as examples of his work would defo be chucked out by my sup. Not at undergrad level though.

Meant to say! I identified with a lot of what he said in terms of what students expect, much of the time I seem to be expected to do the thing he does, only without actually writing their work: constructing arguments, structuring, pointing students towards reseacrh material. Especially with the ones from a particular course I teach on, most of whom shouldn't be at uni - they're not ready or are just not that way inclined or interested.

Hi all has anyone else had one of these messages this morning? It's a link, along with a sentence saying they offer a 'guaranteed pass'.

Why are they sending it to me... ?

Maybe someone should do a PhD on the topic!

Hi KB, I was thinking exactly the same thing just as I logged on - as if the world has gone into total haywire. It does seem a bit that way to me. This is usually such a quiet time of the year for news, but stories are tripping over eachother. All this said I am going through a wobbly patch at present, and things do always seem worse when we're stressed - for me anyhow. I agree with the advice about not reading the press, I read the papers for the first time in aout aweek today. Plus I bet the sunshine comes more when your PhD is done and dusted. X 8-)


It will be like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6tV11acSRk

======= Date Modified 28 Jul 2011 10:25:58 =======
======= Date Modified 28 Jul 2011 10:25:10 =======
Corrine, I agree with a lot of what you have said, but I disagree that there is an awareness and acceptance amongst us that this is what we have to go through, and that challenging it is a waste of time. Well, it is certainly not true in my case. I would never let anyone treat me like that if I could possibly help it: I left my rubbich supervisor and put in a report to her head of department, plus a complaint ith full details and evidence to the postgrad officer. I really think that accepting the kind of bullying and 'spanner in the works' supervision the poster is refering to should be avoided whenever possible. If we don't speak out this will never change, plus, I know that as far as my own mental health goes, it is bad news to allow tis kind of thing to happen without some kind of retort. The people I know of that have accepted this kind of bullying rubbish as part of the process are left with a demoralised and slightly depressive negative air - they probably won't make great supervisors.

Plus I agree with Sneaks that often students don't realise what supervisors are up to and can misinterpret the engendering of independent thinking as neglect - or just be temporarily bamboozled by something their sup does. Any system needs to be monitored for the well-being of both sides. I'd hate PhD supervision to end up with the kind of binds we face as undergrad lecturers where students often don't have to think for themselves and can't deal well with being challenged..

I think this is a great idea, but I'm not sure how we, as PhD students, could implement it. My plan is to be as conscientious as possible, while pushing for this kind of thing, when my turn comes as a supervisor - or head of department (you never know...).

Meanwhile I think the best course of action is to leave and find a better one wherever possible. That's what I did when I realised just how rubbish my first supervisor was. I found someone with a top notch rep as a researcher and educator - I am very lucky.

======= Date Modified 27 Jul 2011 22:39:37 =======
Thank you all for getting me through this last week or so with the procrastination and tomatoes threads. I nearly lost one of my best friends, but now she is OK, out of hospital and recovering at home. She had 3 major surgeries in quick succession, and was in isolation for 5 days, not even her mum and dad or daughter could see her, just her partner. They thought she was going to go - she fought through. I've been so worried, but she is out of the woods now, so thanks for being around all you annonymous good friends, and the one of you I know personally too! Love Esk X

======= Date Modified 26 Jul 2011 13:09:23 =======
It would proably help to do a masters. Most people do before starting a PhD - I think it's very rare to get a funded place without an MA, even in the sciences. You could try and up your grades and catch up with the latest thinking etc.

Best, Esk x


p.s. I'm not a scientist, so you may want to disregard what I've said!

Hey all, sorry to lower the tone, but I did only 3 on Friday and none yesterday... I was ill/exhausted due to forgetting my medication on Saturday. I've also been worried about my friend who had her little girl three weeks early and has been in hospital for a week afterwards, with no visitors. I haven't seen or spoken to her yet, although I got a text yesterday saying she is at home resting. I slept most of yesterday....

But today I have done 2 tomatoes, all editing, plus some admin for work this morning. I lan to do at leat 2 more editing tomoatoes later today and a few reading ones.

Good luck all X

WOW! That's great news KB, well done. You must have blown them away... X 8-)

Sneaks that's genius X 2 = Flight of the Conchord do Bowie. Love it!